Grace Primary School

At our assembly on Friday, it was wonderful to see some of the fruit of our children's hard work over the past term. We were treated to delightful poetry recitations from our Grade R to 3 classes, as well as a number of individual and group musical performances, including a lovely song item by our Junior Choir.

Thank you to our piano, recorder and choir teacher, Mrs Haw, and to our ukulele teacher, Mr Vickus Horn, for the time and effort you invest in teaching our children. Thank you, too, to our Foundation Phase teachers for supporting your classes as they committed a variety of beautiful pieces of poetry to memory.

Our school was a sea of green and yellow as children dressed up in support of South Africa as we cheer them on in their opening match against Mexico in the FIFA 2026 World Cup.

To mark the occasion, Sports Hub Pinelands, arranged a fun mini Soccer World Cup for the children who participate in the programme. There was plenty of excitement, enthusiasm and spirited competition as teams battled it out on the field. In the end, Argentina emerged victorious, defeating France, Brazil and Spain to claim the title.

It was lovely to feel some of that World Cup gees again! Go Bafana Bafana!

It has been so encouraging to see our sports teams — soccer, netball, cross-country and chess — consistently improving throughout the season. It has been a joy to watch them not only perform well, but genuinely enjoy participating, celebrating their successes and learning valuable lessons from their setbacks. We are proud of the enthusiasm, commitment and growth they have shown both on and off the field and court over the season so far.

As we move into a time of exams and assessments, here are some reminders from our two habit focus areas for the term, namely the habits of Best Effort and Memory Work. These are particularly timely habits as children prepare for the assessment season.

We encourage all our children to apply these habits as they approach their assessments and we wish them all well as they give of their best effort!

Yesterday, we had the delight of welcoming South African author Refiloe Moahloli to our school!

An award-winning writer of 22 children's books, Refiloe brings a wonderful energy and joy to every interaction with children. As she shared excerpts from her books, she had the children fully engaged with spirited war cries and even some impressive dance moves.

It was an inspiring visit, not only because many of her stories help children navigate difficult emotions and challenges, but also because she encouraged them to pursue their goals with confidence and determination.

Her three steps to achieving a goal were:
1. Tell someone your goal.
2. Visualise yourself achieving it.
3. Move in the right direction.

Enjoy the video clip of Refiloe's wonderfully enthusiastic way of encouraging our children to take that important third step!

If you would like to order one of her books, you can do so using this link: https://shorturl.at/IahTS

At assembly on Friday we enjoyed the opportunity to award some lovely prizes to those children who had really applied themselves to our Reading Challenge which was held over the last month. The Grades 1&2 classes took part in a Book Bingo Competition and a number of children were awarded Tuckshop vouchers for their special effort in completing the whole Bingo sheet! Well done to Sipho, Iyla, Sanele, Oliver, Ean, Irene, Xihluke and David.

The Grades 3-7 classes took part in a Class Challenge and an Individual Challenge. Congratulations goes to the following classes and individuals:

The Grades 5 and 6 classes shared the class prize, completing all categories of the challenge.

The individual prizes went to the following individuals:

- Winner Grade 3-4: Zayamuka in Gr 3 followed closely by Lisa in Gr 4 who both read 15 books!

- Winner Grade 5-7: Kacey Stevens in Gr 6 who read 28 books followed closely by Nadya in Grade 5 who read 20 books!

Each of our winners received a book voucher from Exclusive Books, Canal Walk and each child who took part in the competition received a special badge, bookmark and pencil. Thank you to Natalie Ford at Exclusive Books for your assistance in this regard. While these prizes are certainly incentives, our goal is to develop a love for books and reading in the lives of our children which we trust will be its own reward!

We begin this week with heavy hearts following the passing of Michelle Smith over the weekend.

Mrs Smith began as the Front of House Receptionist at Grace Primary in May 2023 and has been a diligent and much-loved staff member and colleague ever since. She dearly loved the Grace community and was known for her joy, resilient faith, and genuine kindness. Her infectious laugh and warmth were a tonic and encouragement at school and through her detailed care for children, parents, and colleagues, she touched so many lives and will be deeply missed. One child testified that, whenever they went into the reception and saw Mrs Smith, they'd always come away feeling better. I think that is how we all felt about her!

We continue to pray for the Lord’s comfort and strength for her husband, Selwyn and her children, Isabelle, Annalise, and Joshua during this difficult time.

This morning, our school community gathered to remember Michelle and to support one another in our shared grief. Mr Gray reminded us of the hope we have in Jesus Christ and prayed for Michelle’s family, as well as for our community as we mourn her loss.

He also rang the school bell in her honour, recalling the joyful moment last year when Michelle rang it herself to celebrate her cancer remission. Today, the bell served as a reminder that she is now fully healed, beyond the reach of pain, suffering, and death.

"The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." — Deuteronomy 33:27

Last week the Grade Rs visited the Milnerton Fire Station as part of their theme for the past two weeks, “People Who Help Us.” The children thoroughly enjoyed learning what to do in the event of a fire, exploring the tools and safety gear firefighters use, and taking part in a fun competition to see who could dress in firefighting gear the fastest. They also had the exciting opportunity to climb into a fire truck and even spray a fire hose themselves! Afterwards, the children tried on firefighters’ hats, explored and climbed onto the rescue boats, and enjoyed sliding down the fireman’s pole. The firemen appreciated the cards of thanks given at the end. To end off the theme the children had so much fun going to school dressed as 'a person who helps us'. They really enjoyed all the imaginary play pretending to be the characters of people who help us!

We've moved on to our second habit focus of Term 2...

On Saturday, our school families enjoyed a wonderful Bingo Fundraiser filled with laughter, friendly competition, and plenty of excitement as players hoped to win a prize! It was especially lovely to see children being introduced to the simple joy of this classic family game. Meanwhile, our younger children enjoyed a cozy movie afternoon together.

A heartfelt thank you to Alexa van Wyk and the fundraising team for all their organisation and hard work in making the event such a success. Thank you as well to everyone who donated prizes, to Kirsty Marsh for organising the tuckshop, to our bakers for the delicious treats, and to all those who assisted with sales throughout the afternoon.